T R I C K S S I

I've been in leotards and tights since the age of 3, so dance is in my blood. I love doing it, I love watching it, and I love talking about it. But around the same time I started cosplaying, I started realizing I didn't like the way dance was fitting into my life. After eight years of teaching ballroom styles, I found myself unhappy in a studio environment that discouraged mental health needs and LGBRTQIA+ communities, and did not foster my own dance education. I was just as unhappy when I attended some anime convention formal events that weren't designed with social dancers in mind. For example, there were several DJs who lacked knowledge of what music could accommodate the needs of all their listeners including dancers, not just the "prom" crowd. Conventions had lessons, but didn't have anywhere for students to apply them.

Rather than accommodate the lowest denomination of dance ability, anime conventions need to hold themselves to a standard higher than "prom." Why? Social partner dances like ballroom and dancesport are culturally relevant to contemporary Japanese culture as well as American culture. Moreover, accompanying lessons are a great opportunity teach elements of etiquette and consent that some attendees might not otherwise know about. Not everyone has access to dance and life education outside of these lessons. Not everyone has a partner or the confidence to practice dance outside of a learning environment.

With this philosophy, I want to change the "formal ball/dance/event" community within the anime and gaming convention community to be a safer, more enjoyable, and more educational space. I want to teach lessons that accommodate every kind of learner regardless of age, ability, experience, orientation/identity, partner acquisition, and any other factor that might hinder someone from enjoying dance elsewhere. Using Fanimecon's Black and White Ball as a model, I want to encourage events to coordinate styles of dance to music that can be enjoyed by everyone (ranging from anime to gaming to Japanese pop music and beyond.

What I do is highly specialized, qualified by over 11 years of teaching experience, 28 years of being a dancer, a minor in music from Kenyon College, and all the leadership and public appearance experiences along the way. To create a convention formal ball takes time and great effort. I actively edit and compile songs while applying knowledge of BPM and movement sensitivity. My successful collaborations began in August 2016. I'd like to encourage qualified dance instructors and social dancers across the country to work together to improve events so that regardless of who hosts the event, it has a viable, sustainable, and inclusive legacy.

It is my philosophy that social partner dance...

• Should be accessible to everyone, regardless of ability, gender, income, skill level, race, body type, and height.
• Events should be safe for everyone first, and then fun.
• Should have an atmosphere of encouragement and respect.
• Communities should adopt changing standards and practices within the greater social dance community in the United States, including but not limited to dress codes and language used to describe the dances, as well as dance styles themselves.
• Creates an environment where nobody feels too self-conscious to try to learn, where you can truly "dance like no one is watching" because no one is offering unwanted criticism or acting in an exclusionary or elitist manner, regardless of skill level.

Goals of My Social Partner Dance Events at Anime Conventions

• Teach etiquette and interpersonal skills that are valuable beyond the dance floor
• Foster a love for the art and language of dance
• Develop body awareness as it relates to oneself and others
• Bring music to life through one's body
• Provide joyful physical movement
• Expand cross-cultural knowledge and study
• Inspire connections between dance and other beloved hobbies
• Encourage an atmosphere of safety and self-agency
• Reduce anxiety in unfamiliar social dance situations through interpreting a structured syllabus
• Pass knowledge to future generations of potential dance teachers to keep events alive
• Build a community that collaborates—it takes two to tango!

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